4 Jun 23

Bumpers Lane, The Cuttings Quarry, Rufus Castle, Penn's Copse, Penn's Weare, St Andrew's Church, Pennsylvania Castle Woods, Perryfield Quarry Butterfly Reserve, Wakeham Meadow and Old Quarry Lane

It was an early morning walk today to avoid the heat. However by the time Ted and I got home I was perspiring profusely.

Main highlight was watching a Rock Pipit delivering insects to youngsters in a well hidden nest along Penns Weare.

Other highlights were a Lesser Whitethroat in Penns Weare, a Blackcap next to Perryfields butterfly reserve and 2 Chiffchaff all singing.


Birds Recorded:
1 Cormorant
Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
1 Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
3 Collared Dove
2 Swallow
1 Rock Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Blackcap
2 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch

A pair of Herring Gulls coming into land on top of Rufus Castle

A Stock Dove flies up into a tree, as a Wood Pigeon looks on.

A Rock Pipit ................

..................taking food to its nest along Penns Weare.

Butterflies Recorded:
2 Dingy Skipper
2 Small Skipper
2 Speckled Wood
2 Small Blue
1 Holly Blue
4 Common Blue

A Dingy Skipper

This is a female Small Skipper and.......

...........possibly this one to

A male Common Blue and a.....

............another very worn male.

Moths Recorded:
Thistle Ermine (Myelois circumvoluta)

moth sp.

A Thistle Ermine (Myelois circumvoluta)

moth sp.

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)


Hoverflies Recorded:
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris)
Cheilosia sp.

A Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

A Cheilosia sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Thick-headed Fly (Sicus ferrugineus)

My first Thick-headed Fly (Sicus ferrugineus) this year.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

Pot Beetle (Cryptocephalus aureolus)

This is a Pot Beetle (Cryptocephalus aureolus) on a Common Hawkweed. The only other Pot Beetle it can be confused with is Cryptocephalus hypochaeridis. More on C. aureolus Here.

Plants:
Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera)
Milkwort (Polygala sp.)
Slender Thistle (Carduus tenuiflorus)

Ivy Broomrape (Orobanche hederae)

This is my first Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) this year and.........

..........here is a close-up of that amazing flower head.

This is a Milkwort and most likely Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris). However there are a few others it could be - Heath Milkwort (Polygala serpyllifolia), Chalk Milkwort (Polygala calcarea) and Dwarf Milkwort or Kentish Milkwort (Polygala amarella)

And a close-up of the milkwort sp. flowers

 Slender Thistle (Carduus tenuiflorus) and........

............a close-up of the flowers. More on this thistle Here.

Ivy Broomrape (Orobanche hederae)

And two more Ivy Broomrapes

General Shots:

Rufus Castle as seen from Penns Weare

Ted:

Ted posing in front of Rufus Castle

Ships Today:

This is the British Diving Boat "Waverider" on its way down Portland's east coast. More on this vessel Here.

This is the German Vehicles Carrier "Parana" on its way from Vlissingen (Holland) to Cork. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Singaporean Bulk Carrier "Propel Grace" on its way from Wilmington (North Carolina, USA) to Portland. More on this vessel Here.

This is the British Fishing Boat WH425 "Quarter Bell" on its way to its fishing grounds. More on this vessel Here.